This invention relates generally to a cover for protecting a decorated indoor Christmas tree from cats and dogs or other household pets, or small children.
It is well known that a decorated Christmas tree has an alluring quality among house pets, especially cats and dogs. The house pets may be drawn to the dangling or sparking ornaments or lights. The house pets may get too close to the tree and ornaments, such as crawling under the tree or climbing up the base of the tree to nest among its branches. This may cause ornaments to fall off and break or worse, cause the tree to topple or branches to break, which may harm the pet and destroy the tree.
Various prior art exists, which is directed specifically towards keeping house pets out of Christmas trees. One option is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,242 to David which uses a radio transmitter worn on the pet's collar that produces a high-pitched frequency when the pet approaches an antenna loop around the base of the Christmas tree, preventing the pet from interacting with the tree or its ornamentation. This system, however, is costly and requires substantial setup. In addition, it only works so long as the house pet is wearing a properly functioning transmitter.
Additional prior art directed towards keeping animals away from plants includes cylindrical screens enclosing the plants. U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,505 to Haufler discloses a freestanding plant pen that serves as a barrier to keep pets away from potted plants. U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,953 to Morgan discloses a mesh cover that suspends from an internal pole and curtains out unwanted animals. Both of these enclosures have slow setup and are not easily stowed.
Christmas tree disposal bags or covers are also known, which wrap around the tree with opposite edges connected together with snaps, zippers, or other fasteners, which are cumbersome and sometimes fail. Other prior art plastic disposal bags are pulled upwardly from the floor to surround the tree and are tied at the top. However, such bags often snag when being raised or lowered, which may tear the bags, break tree branches, or knock ornaments from the tree. These disposal bags are not intended to be used on decorated trees or remain on a standing tree in a house.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of a cover that covers at least the lower portion of a decorated Christmas tree to protect the tree, its ornaments and lights from house pets.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a cover for a decorated Christmas tree which hooks onto the tree branches.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a protective device for a decorated Christmas tree which fits different sizes of trees.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a sheet of material which covers part or all of a decorated Christmas tree to protect the tree and ornaments from pets and children.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an inexpensive Christmas tree cover that can be quickly and easily placed onto and removed from the decorated Christmas tree.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a decorated Christmas tree cover that can be easily and compactly stored when not in use.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a decorated Christmas tree cover that is economical to manufacture and effective in use.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.